Granted. We might hope that they would stop being hypocrites not by abandoning their behavior-motivating beliefs (e.g. “it is wrong to murder someone for being an atheist”) but instead by abandoning their professed “beliefs” (e.g. “nonbelievers will suffer in Hell for eternity”); but it’s hard for me to say which would actually happen. We do know that under certain circumstances, human beings definitely will burn other humans to death in the name of religious belief.
Well, professed beliefs and behavior-motivating beliefs are often integral. However, usually conversion rather than immolation is the goal of a believer who believes that atheists will burn in hell for eternity. Generally, the goal is to get everyone to heaven, and most people realize that by burning an atheist, they are not being rational about their faith, and secondly not making it look good. In fact, rarely in any religious text (perhaps excluding the Koran—correct me if I’m wrong) does one find an instruction to kill atheists.
Granted. We might hope that they would stop being hypocrites not by abandoning their behavior-motivating beliefs (e.g. “it is wrong to murder someone for being an atheist”) but instead by abandoning their professed “beliefs” (e.g. “nonbelievers will suffer in Hell for eternity”); but it’s hard for me to say which would actually happen. We do know that under certain circumstances, human beings definitely will burn other humans to death in the name of religious belief.
Well, professed beliefs and behavior-motivating beliefs are often integral. However, usually conversion rather than immolation is the goal of a believer who believes that atheists will burn in hell for eternity. Generally, the goal is to get everyone to heaven, and most people realize that by burning an atheist, they are not being rational about their faith, and secondly not making it look good. In fact, rarely in any religious text (perhaps excluding the Koran—correct me if I’m wrong) does one find an instruction to kill atheists.